


Legacy of Steele 1: Beginnings (Part 1)

by NorahBolt56



Series: Steele Stringed Hearts & Legacy of Steele [2]
Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:57:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11595294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Summary: This part of the series is set a few months after the events of “Steele Stringed Hearts’. In this part, Remington learns something that will change his and Laura's life forever...





	1. Chapter 1

Remington Steele was sitting in his office one morning when Mildred came in with the mail. “Here’s your mail boss – I left the bills on Miss Holt’s desk,” she remarked with a smile.

“Well done Mildred, well done,” he replied with a devilish grin as she left the room. He sat back in his chair, unable to wipe the smile off his face as his thoughts turned to Laura. A few months ago they had finally ’crossed that line’ and admitted their true feelings for each other and given into the passion that had consumed them for the past few years since he came into her life, both of them having decided what they wanted – each other. She had been all he had dreamed of and more.

Even last night, after working late to finish up a security contract, she had been more than willing to ‘trip the light fantastic’ as he liked to call it, in fact she had initiated it if he remembered correctly. As it had been well after midnight when they’d finally fallen asleep exhausted in each other’s arms, he’d left her sleeping that morning, quietly getting ready for the office whilst trying not to disturb her. She had momentarily roused when he’d planted a kiss on her lips but then fallen back to sleep.  The memory of last night had started to affect him rather markedly, so he decided he’d better try and focus on work.

He sifted through the mail, one envelope marked “Confidential’ and with a hand written address on it aroused his curiosity. Oddly, it had no return address on it. He opened it and a letter and photo fell out. He picked up the letter first and began reading it.

_Dear Harry (or should I say Remington?),_

_This is the hardest letter I’ve ever had to write. I don’t really know where to start but there’s something I should have told you in person while I was in L.A. – I did try a couple of times but there never seemed to be the right moment. And I was a bit undecided whether to tell you or not but I know you have a right to know, so here goes – I hope you’re sitting down!_

_We have a son. I named him Harry after you – Harry Sean O’Casey. He turned thirteen this year. I’ve enclosed a recent photo – as you can see he’s a chip off the old block. I didn’t get much of a look in!_

In a state of shock Remington picked up the photo accompanying the letter. His own eyes stared back at him – the young boy in the photo looked so much like himself in his younger days, there was no denying his paternity and he knew Kate would never lie to him. He read on.

_I found out I was pregnant about a month after you left. I know we always tried to be careful but I guess accidents happen sometimes, although I have never thought of Harry as an accident – he’s been the greatest blessing of my life. There was never any question that I would keep him – I couldn’t bear the thought of our child growing up like we did, shuffled around, never really knowing who he belonged to or where he came from._

_I tried to find you to tell you but you had disappeared with Daniel. I never thought I’d see you again so he has no idea who his father is, only that we were very young and that we loved each other. And then when our paths crossed again I knew I owed it to you and to him to tell you. I know this must come as a huge shock and the timing is probably not great as I know you have Laura in your life now (I hope you took my advice there!). I’m not after money or anything like that from you – my career in the music industry has enabled me to provide very well for him. He goes to one of the best schools in England and although he wants for nothing material, I’ve tried to always instil in him an appreciation for all he has and to care for others less fortunate, so he understands where his parents came from. I’ve tried to give him the start to life that we never had. He’s smart, funny, cheeky & charming – a lot like his dad actually!_

_Anyway I’ll leave it up to you what you do with this information. If you’d like to meet him our contact details are on the bottom of this letter. Also up to you whether you tell Laura or not but I know honesty means a lot to her, especially where you’re concerned, so you may want to think about that. The last thing I want to do is to complicate things for you or for you to feel obligated to me - I want you to be happy and as I told you when I was in LA I know Laura is the woman who will do that for you if you let her, but if there is space in your life for Harry that would make us very happy too._

_Love,_ _Kate_

Remington ran a hand over his face, trying to absorb it all. A son…. if he’d only known. How different would his life have been if he had known, he wondered. Would he & Kate have stayed together, building a family and a life together in London, miles away from where he found himself now? But then he never would have met Laura, he realised, as he wondered at the strange workings of fate.

 Now it all made sense – Kate’s manager Miles Walker’s cryptic comments to him that he and Kate had things to talk about and the look on Kate’s face when he’d asked her what Miles had meant. And what she’d said to him just before she went on stage at the concert, that she had to go through with it not just for her sake and that that was a conversation for another time. He realised now she had gone through with the plan to catch the would be killer in order to protect their son. He suspected as well when they were having that argument at the hotel pool that day that she had almost blurted it out then.

It only took him a moment for him to decide – there was only one decision he could make as far as he was concerned. Due to the lack of a father in his own life he had vowed long ago that he would never (knowingly) abandon any child of his own. He would be there for them and be the type of father his own unknown father had never been. A stab of guilt ran through him as he thought of his son growing up for thirteen years without him. He had no doubt Kate had done a good job raising him but a boy needed his father, especially now that he was on the cusp of the journey from boy to man. He also felt guilty that he hadn’t been there for Kate – she’d had to go through pregnancy & childbirth on her own and raise their son as a single mother.

Just at that moment there was a knock on his office door, disturbing his thoughts. Thinking it was Mildred he called out, “Sorry Mildred I’m in the middle of something – can you give me a few minutes,” his voice a little choked. But it wasn’t Mildred at the door – Laura opened it and stood there with a cheeky grin on her face, looking every bit as beautiful he thought (albeit somewhat less tousled) as she had done that morning when he had left her still sleeping in his bed.

“Not Mildred, just me.” she answered. “And whatever you’re in the middle of can wait Mr Steele _._ I missed you this morning,’ she added in a seductive tone as she strode to the desk, leant over it and kissed him. Though he responded to her she could tell there was something wrong. Since they had bared their souls (and more) to each other a few months ago he had barely been able to keep his hands off her and she had to admit the feeling was mutual. But now he seemed distracted, ending the kiss rather than continuing it.

She drew her head back and looked at him, noticing the little line he got in his forehead when he was troubled about something. “What’s wrong?’ she asked with concern and then she looked down and saw the letter. “Bad news?”.

“No not bad news, just very unexpected,” Remington replied. “Ah Laura, you better sit down – there’s something I need to tell you,” he stated seriously.

What more was there to tell? she thought as she did as he asked. Over the last few months, she thought he had told her pretty much everything about his past but this sounded like something big. He hesitated for a moment as he got up & paced the room, searching for the right words to tell her. The more he paced, the more she began to worry.

 ”Remington what’s going on? Tell me,” she implored him. Her voice, soft and full of love & concern, gave him the courage he needed. “You’re pacing like an expectant father,” she observed as he shook his head ruefully thinking she doesn’t know how right she is, well half right anyway. At his action and the look on his face a startling thought suddenly came to Laura as she recalled the events of a few months ago. Oh no, that couldn’t be it could it? she thought desperately as she swallowed the lump that suddenly came to her throat.

“The letter.. is that from Kate?’’ she asked as he looked at her, a little surprised at her intuition. He nodded as he tugged on his earlobe a little nervously. Laura then asked the question that had sprung to her mind but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. “Is she pregnant?”

Remington looked at her, his blue eyed gaze intense, and paused before answering as her heart seemed to stand still. “No..” he answered as she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. “Not now,.but apparently she was fourteen years ago when I left her,” he went on as she looked at him in shock.

”What?!” she exclaimed.

 “Laura... I’ve just found out I have a son,” he stated, his blue eyes, which she caught the faint glimmer of tears in, searching hers, seeking her understanding & acceptance.

He handed her the letter and photo Kate had sent him. “She never said anything to you while she was here?” Laura began reading the letter and as she looked at the photo she knew it was true – it was like looking at a younger version of the man standing in front of her.

“No she didn’t,” he shook his head. “As she explains in the letter she didn’t think it was the right time and she was in two minds whether to tell me or not. I guess our paths crossing again was as big a shock to her as it was to me.”

Laura took a moment to absorb the news. She had to admit she felt a stab of jealousy – since meeting Remington and falling in love with him she had more than once entertained the thought of settling down and having a family with him. But she knew this was not about her, it was about him, the man that she loved, and the son he had just discovered he had. “So what are you going to do?’ she asked him gently, although she already knew what his answer would be.

”There’s only one thing I can do now that I know – I have to meet him and be a father to him,” he stated determinedly as Laura nodded understandingly. ”You know this doesn’t change anything between us,” he reassured her with a smile as he took her into his arms.

“I know ...and I want you to know that I’m here for you and I want him to be part of your life…part of our lives,” she stated sincerely.

“Thank you,” he replied as he kissed her softly then hesitated for a moment. “You know that means Kate will inevitably still be part of our lives too,” he reminded her as Laura nodded with a smile.

 “I know,” she replied, “and I’m okay with that. She took a bullet for me after all. And she also gave me you,” she added softly as she kissed him. “It would have been very easy for her, and I can’t say I would have blamed her, to use the fact that you have a child together to try and get you back, but she didn’t and that must have been very hard for her.”

Remington nodded, knowing that to be true. He then ran a hand through his hair. ”Laura I don’t know the first thing about being a father, seeing as I never knew my own,” he admitted his fears.

 Laura smiled at him as she put her hands on his shoulders. ”You have all the qualities of an excellent father – you’re loyal, caring, tender, protective and with a heart of gold,” she reassured him, her brown eyes shining at him. “I knew from that day I say you nursing little Joey and singing to him in that case when I found out about your history as the ‘Kilkenny Kid’ that you would make a wonderful father one day. And you’re great with my sister’s kids,” she pointed out with a smile.

 ”Thank you Laura, that means a lot,” he replied gratefully.

Laura hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should confess something to him then she thought, what the hell – in for a penny, in for a pound. ”This might be somewhat premature but since then I’ve secretly dreamed that we would have a child of our own one day.”

 A little surprised but nevertheless touched by her honesty he smiled at her and pulled her closer to him. “I like the sound of that. I must admit I’ve had the odd dream about that myself,” he confessed, remembering quite vividly a daydream he’d had while they were investigating the disappearance of the Royal Lavulite when they’d been hired to transport the gems last year. A grin crossed his face at the memory – he & Laura, parents to twin babies with Laura’s belly swollen with another child on the way, his child. Well maybe one day, he thought to himself then realised for now he needed to focus on his child that he had just learnt of the existence of.

“Now I think I have a phone call to make,” he stated seriously.

Laura nodded & patted him encouragingly on the arm. ”You’re doing the right thing.” She kissed him and then left him to make the call. Remington took a deep breath then dialled the number Kate had provided…

                                    *********************************************

On the other side of the world in London it was almost 6 pm. Kate was putting a roast on for dinner when she heard the phone ringing. “Harry can you get the phone please sweetheart?” she called to her son as her hands were full.

“Sure Mum,” he replied as he picked it up. “Hello?” he said into the receiver.

At the other end of the line Remington felt like his heart stopped for a moment as he heard the young boy’s voice with an English accent mixed with a bit of Irish on the other end. Was that Harry? Was that his son? his mind raced wildly. He had expected Kate to answer the phone and that conversation was going to be hard enough but this had really thrown him. “Hello is anyone there?” young Harry asked when there was no response.

Remington cleared his throat. “Ah yes ...hello,” Remington had to stop himself from saying ‘son’. “I’d like to speak to Kate O’Casey please. I’m... an old friend of hers,” he stated simply.

“Sure I’ll go get her. May I ask who’s calling?” his son asked him politely.

”Tell her it’s Remington Steele calling from Los Angeles. Thank you,” he stated, marvelling at the sound of his son’s voice.

 “Okay no worries I’ll go get her,” Harry replied then put the receiver down. “Mum there’s a Remington Steele on the phone for you – says he’s calling from Los Angeles,” he called.

Kate almost dropped the roast as she put it in the oven. So he got the letter, she thought with a smile to herself. Although Harry was unaware the man on the other end of the phone who he had just spoken to was his father, she would have preferred that she had answered the phone instead of him. “Ah thanks sweetheart. Why don’t you go and finish up your homework before dinner? I might be a little while on the phone,” she said to him as she planted a kiss on his head.

After he left the room Kate took a deep breath then picked up the phone. ”Hello Harry,’ she greeted him.

 “Hello Kate,” he replied and she could hear the emotional catch in his voice. “That was him on the phone wasn’t it? I just spoke to our son didn’t I?” he asked as tears sprung to his eyes.

“Yes you did,” she confirmed as she fought back her own tears. ”So you got the letter then?” she asked a little awkwardly. not knowing what else to say.

 “Yes I got your letter Kate,” Remington replied. “Why didn’t you tell me when you were here?”

At that, Kate sighed. “I did try to. That night when we... well you know... I tried to tell you afterwards but you had fallen asleep,” she explained.

As Remington remembered back to that night a few months ago a sudden thought struck him, given the enormity of the news she had given him. “Kate... that night – I don’t recall us well... using anything... I’m assuming you were protected?” he asked in a slightly worried voice.

“Of course I was Harry – bloody hell, what sort of a question is that? I’m not seventeen anymore – I’ve learnt my lesson, believe me,” she snapped, with fourteen years of repressed emotions suddenly coming to the surface, thinking to herself I wasn’t going to risk another unplanned pregnancy again, especially not with him!

Remington blew out a somewhat frustrated breath. “I’m sorry Kate I didn’t mean anything by that.  I guess this has all come as quite a shock,” he confessed.

“Try finding out you’re pregnant and alone at seventeen for a shock Harry,’ Kate retorted a little bitterly. Remington was silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond to that, a wave of guilt and regret washing over him as he realised he had not only left her, but unknowingly he had also left their child, something he had vowed to himself long ago he would never do, as his own father had done to him.

In response to his silence Kate relented a little, realising how much of a shock this must be for him. ”I’m sorry Harry – I didn’t mean to snap at you. I guess I never pictured myself having to have this conversation with you,” she admitted. “I know this must come as a shock for you. I wanted to tell you face to face but I never seemed to find the right time – I almost blurted it out at the pool that day but I didn’t want to tell you like that, when we were fighting. And I guess there was another reason I didn’t tell you then,” she added.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“I wanted to give you and Laura the chance to sort yourselves out without further complications,” Kate stated sincerely. “As I said in the letter, I don’t want anything from you Harry, but when I got home and I was with our son again I knew I owed it to both him & you to tell you. I don’t know, but I think maybe we were meant to run into each other again so you could get to meet your son and he you – that’s assuming you want to,” Kate stated a little hesitantly.

“Of course I want to Kate – how could I not? I’m his father for God’s sake – I want to meet him and get to know him and him me. I just wish I’d known before,” he sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you and him Katie - you know I would have been if I’d known,” he stated, his voice raw with emotion.

“I know you would have Harry,” Kate replied, her voice a choked whisper as she fought to hold back her tears over what could have been.

After he took a moment to collect himself Remington asked “Have you told him about me – that our paths crossed again?”

“No not yet. I didn’t want to get his hopes up, just in case you didn’t... well you know what I mean. It’s going to be as big a shock to him as it was to you,’ Kate replied.

“Yes I imagine it will be,” Remington agreed, wondering how his son was going to react to the news. Would he be angry and resent him – the father he’d never known? he thought to himself, his fears mirroring his own feelings towards his own unknown father.

“So ah... when can I meet him?” he asked hopefully.

 “Whenever you like,” Kate replied. “He goes back to school next month so I guess before then would be best. How does that fit into your work schedule?”

“How about this coming weekend then?” Remington suggested, thinking to himself that he didn’t want to lose any more time with his son now that he knew about him.

 “I guess that would work,” Kate replied, wondering to herself how young Harry was going to react to finally meeting his father.

“I’d like to tell him I’m his father Kate – if that’s okay with you of course. It’s the least I can do,” Remington stated as Kate agreed. “How did you manage on your own all these years?” he then asked, with more than a little admiration.

At that Kate laughed a little wryly. “I’ve wondered that myself sometimes. I guess I did what I had to do. Miles has been a wonderful support over the years - he’s always been there for us. I don’t know what I would have done without his help really.”

Remington nodded to himself, thinking back to a couple of conversations he’d had with Miles Walker, Kate’s manager, a few months ago which had puzzled him at the time but which all made sense now, as he made a mental note to thanks Miles the next time he saw him. He hesitated for a moment then said, “I’m so sorry Katie that you’ve had to raise our son on your own, but I’d like to make up for that – if that’s what he wants.”

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thanks Harry – I appreciate that,” she replied, not really knowing what to say.

“So I’ll make the arrangements and be in touch with the details eh?” he stated a little awkwardly thinking to himself, it’s not every day you make arrangements to meet the son you never knew you had.

 “Okay,” Kate agreed, thinking something similar herself. ”Well I’d better go – I’ve got dinner on and Harry will be back down soon no doubt,” she then said a little hurriedly.

“Oh yes of course I’ll let you go then,” Remington replied then he added, “Katie...?”

“Yes Harry?” she replied.

“Thank you for letting me know,” he stated simply.

“You’re welcome. I think it was the right thing to do – for both your sakes,” Kate replied sincerely as they bade each other farewell.

As they both hung up their respective phones they both took a deep breath and hurriedly wiped away a couple of tears.

Just then Harry came back down into the kitchen as Kate quickly composed herself. “Oh good you’re off the phone Mum – is dinner ready? I’m starving,” Harry stated with a lopsided grin as Kate smiled at him and his ravenous teenage boy appetite. As he looked at his mother Harry thought he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “Mum – have you been crying? Is everything okay?” he asked, a little concerned.

“I’m fine sweetheart – just my eyes watering from cutting up the onions for dinner,” she came up with a quick excuse.

“So who was that Remington Steele guy on the phone?’ he asked curiously as Kate thought to herself, your father my boy.

“Ah he’s that old friend I told you I bumped into while I was in LA a few months back,” she replied. “Actually he’s coming to London this weekend – I’d like you to meet him,” she added, trying to sound casual.

“Sure thing Mum – a friend of yours is a friend of mine hey?” he laughed with a twinkle in his blue eyes that reminded Kate so much of his father that she found herself fighting back the tears again that suddenly sprang to her eyes.

 “Let’s hope so Harry,” she replied with a smile as she hugged him to her, taking him quite by surprise.

“What was that for Mum?” he laughed. “No reason – just because I love you,” Kate replied as she affectionately ruffled his jet black hair, hoping that she was doing the right thing bringing his father into his life…

_***************************************_

While Remington made one of the most important phone calls of his life, Laura went into her adjoining office to give him some privacy and also to collect her own thoughts. A son…he has a son. Just when we’re finally working ourselves out, life throws another curveball at us, she thought to herself **,** realising that if the time they had spent together over the years and now this development were any indication, their life together was never going to be boring!

As she thought about Kate’s revelation the more it all made sense and she found herself wondering how her keen detective’s mind had not put the clues together. The comment Kate had made, “You don’t know the half of it,” when Laura had remarked that Remington/Harry leaving her must have been hard, and the fact that she had dropped out of the music scene somewhat & stopped touring some years back, which based on her son’s age she figured must have been when he started school, and Kate’s comment that “she needed to focus on other things in her life.”.

She also remembered Nat, Kate’s back-singer responding to Laura’s question about why Kate had broken up with Rick Ramirez, saying that she guessed she was thinking of Harry. Laura now realised that she had been talking about her son, rather than her first love, the man Laura called Remington Steele _._ She also remembered how when Nat had been looking at the photos of Remington and Kate in the newspaper she had commented to Kate in reference to Remington, just how old a friend he was, obviously recognising the resemblance between him and his son. Laura also remembered the warning look Kate had shot Nat after her comment and how it had puzzled her at the time. And then there had been the line in the song Kate had sang for her encore at the concert - “ _A part of you will always be with me_.” It all fit now.

She rubbed her forehead as she pondered the revelation, realising just how much Kate had given up for her – not just the man she had loved, but the father of her son. And while Remington had assured her that this didn’t change anything between them, she couldn’t help the little niggle of doubt that was starting to form – if he had known, would he have still chosen her rather than Kate?

                         ***********************************************************

After finishing the call Remington took a minute or two to compose himself then went into Laura’s adjoining office. She looked up a little worriedly as he stood in the doorway as she tried to read the expression on his face. “How did it go?” she asked as she got up and walked over to him, putting a supportive hand on his arm, her eyes full of love and concern for him.

“Good I think,” he stated as he nodded, his gaze on the floor. Then he looked at her, tears brimming in his blue eyes. “I spoke to him Laura…I spoke to my son. He answered the phone,” he stated, his voice trembling a bit as his emotions overwhelmed him.

Not knowing what to say, Laura just hugged him to her as he clung to her, needing her strength. They were silent for a few moments, just holding each other as the enormity of the situation washed over both of them. “What did he sound like?” Laura eventually broke the silence.

At that, a proud smile crossed Remington’s face. “He kind of sounded like a younger version of me,” Laura smiled back at him. ”Like father, like son hey?” she replied warmly as he nodded and his smile got a bit wider, “I guess so,” he agreed, liking the sound of that.

“I arranged with Kate to go to London this weekend to meet him, so I guess we better tell Mildred eh so she can book our flights,” Remington stated as Laura looked at him.

“Our flights?” she asked with some surprise.

”Yes our,” he confirmed with a smile. “I want you to meet him Laura and he you and ... I need you with me,” he confessed, his vulnerability touching her as she nodded.

”Of course I’ll come with you,” she said softly as they kissed tenderly. “Let’s go book those tickets shall we?” she said with a dimpled smile when they finally drew apart as he nodded and she followed him out the door of her office.

                        ************************************************************

“Mildred can I ask you something?” Laura asked once they were alone in the office later that morning.

“Sure Miss Holt – what’s up?”

“I noticed you didn’t seem that surprised when Mr Steele told you about finding out he has a son. Did you somehow know about it?” Laura queried.

Mildred sighed – she should have known Miss Holt’s keen detective eye would have picked up on her reaction. “Well not exactly – I had a hunch that’s all,” she replied.

“How?” Laura asked curiously.

“When Miss Kelly... I mean Kate, came to the agency that day after that newspaper article & photos came out of her and Mr Steele, when she came out of the boss’s office we accidentally bumped into each other. She dropped her handbag and her purse fell out and I noticed she had a photo of a young boy inside. I took one look at that photo and saw how much he looked like the boss that I put two and two together. I guessed it was a photo of her son and that Mr Steele was his father.”

Laura looked at her incredulously. “I guess I better tell you the rest of it huh?” Mildred went on a little sheepishly.

“There’s more?” Laura as Mildred nodded. “The day Kate was leaving the hospital I went to visit her. For two reasons really – after she took that bullet for you I realised I’d misjudged her and I felt bad about the way I’d treated her and I wanted to apologise. And I also wanted to ask her about the photo.”

“And what did she say?” Laura asked.

“She politely told me it was none of my business and that if I cared about you and Mr Steele that I should drop it. But I could tell I’d guessed the truth by the way she reacted. When I asked her did she have something she needed to tell Mr Steele I noticed she had tears in her eyes. I think she didn’t want to say anything at that point that may have potentially stopped the two of you from finally getting together,” Mildred stated perceptively. ”So that’s’ why I never said anything to either of you and also because it wasn’t my secret to tell,” Mildred stated sincerely as Laura nodded, deep in thought.

                                    *******************************************

Later on that afternoon Mildred knocked on the door of Mr Steele’s office, When there was no response she cautiously opened the door to find him sitting with his feet up on the desk, staring out the window, deep in thought. “You okay Boss?” she asked, as broken out of his reverie, he turned to look at her with a half-smile on his face.

“Well as good as can be expected I guess Mildred - it’s not every day you become a father is it?’ he replied a little wryly as she nodded understandingly and came and sat down opposite him.

“Some mixed emotions huh chief?” she asked perceptively as he nodded.

“Yes indeed Mildred – I mean I’m happy of course but I just wish I’d had known earlier, well years ago really.”

“But if you had known your life would have been very different I would imagine?” Mildred pointed out as he nodded.

“True, true,” he nodded as he ran a hand over his face.

”And you wouldn’t have met Miss Holt,” Mildred pointed out with a smile. ”Take it from me boss, life doesn’t always work out the way we planned but that’s not always a bad thing. I guess it’s the little twists and turns that make it interesting hey?”

“Hmm indeed,” he agreed with a smile, thinking about the strange workings of fate.

“And now that you do know, what does that mean for you and Miss Holt?’ Mildred asked the question, knowing it really wasn’t any of her business, but loving them both as she did, she didn’t want to see either of them hurt.

Remington looked at her somewhat surprised. “It doesn’t change anything between us Mildred – certainly not from my perspective anyway”, he stated adamantly then asked a little worriedly, “Why? Did Laura say something to you?”

“No, no boss... relax,” Mildred reassured him with a warm smile. She hesitated for a moment then said, “Boss there’s something I guess I should tell you. Before Miss Kelly... I mean Kate, went back to London, I visited her in the hospital. You see that day when the article in the newspaper about the two of you came out and she came here, she bumped into me when she came out your office door and she dropped her purse. I saw a photo of your son in her purse – well I didn’t know for sure, but his resemblance to you and the way she reacted gave me a pretty good idea. So I went to the hospital to see if my hunch was right.”

“And what did she say?” Remington asked curiously.

“Not much – she told me basically it was none of my business and that if I cared about you and Miss Holt that I should keep my suspicions to myself. But the look in her eyes told me all I needed to know.” When Remington fell into a thoughtful silence Mildred added seriously, “That woman cares a great deal about you chief - and she gave up a lot for you and Miss Holt to be happy. A lesser woman would have tried to use the fact that you have a child together to get you back.”

Remington nodded, his gaze focused on the floor. “I know Mildred,” he sighed.

“This isn’t gonna be easy chief but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. You’ve been given a gift you know,” Mildred stated in a non-nonsense fashion as a smile crossed her face. Remington nodded with a smile of his own.

 “And that boy of yours couldn’t ask for a better father, I know that for sure,” she added fondly as she stood up and gave him a hug.

“Thanks Mildred,” he replied with a smile as he gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek and she left him to his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning after they arrived in London, Remington and Laura got a cab from the hotel where they were staying to Kate’s house. Remington was uncharacteristically quiet during the cab ride as he stared out the window chewing on a fingernail, deep in thought. “Nervous?” Laura asked him perceptively as she gave his other hand an encouraging squeeze. She found his hand clammy with sweat.

 “Nervous? I’m bloody terrified,” he admitted. He had been in a lot of dangerous situations in his life but they seemed to pale in comparison to the thought of finally meeting his son. “What if he doesn’t like me Laura? What if he’s got all this anger built up towards the father he’s never known and doesn’t want to have anything to do with me?” he voiced his concerns, his sentiments echoing his own feelings towards the father he had never known.

Laura patted his hand in support and lovingly turned his face to hers. “It’s going to be okay. Yes, I’m sure it will be a shock for him at first to discover you’re his father but once he gets to know you and you him I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “After all, who wouldn’t love you?” she added with a smile as she kissed him tenderly.

Remington & Kate had agreed that they wouldn’t tell Harry today, thinking it may be too much all at once – today would just be a ‘get to know you’ meeting. As far as Harry knew he was just meeting his mother’s old friend.

Quicker than Remington hoped the cab pulled up outside Kate’s house in a fashionable part of London. So different to the rough streets of Brixton where he had met her long ago. Where they had conceived a child together – a child he was about to meet for the first time, he thought as he steeled himself then paid the cab driver and got out of the cab, going around the other side to open the door for Laura. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked hand in hand up the stairs to the front door. He rang the doorbell, trying to stop his hands from trembling a bit.

It didn’t take long for Kate to answer the door. She looked as nervous as he did. She hoped all would go smoothly and he and their son would hit it off, before Harry learned the truth that he was his father.

“Hi Harry…sorry, Remington,” she corrected herself quickly, reminding herself not to call him by his former name in front of Harry who also bore that name, as she had told him she had named him after his father.

 ”Hi Kate,” he replied giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

”Laura hi, how you doing?” Kate greeted her with a smile, genuinely happy to see them together as she knew that’s where he belonged.

 “Come in – Harry’s just out in the garden kicking his football around,” she informed them as she showed them in. Her home was tastefully furnished and spoke of understated wealth, comfortable but not over the top. So different to the places we both grew up in Remington mused, glad that their son had had a much better start to life.

As they walked through to the back of the house Remington noticed the photos of his son through the years that adorned the walls and he stopped for a moment to look at them. There were photos of young Harry as a baby, then as a toddler, his first day at school, birthdays and so forth. A lump came to his throat as he realised all the milestones he had missed out on in his son’s life – his first steps, his first words, starting school, his first football game, even his very start to life. As he thought this he was even more determined not to miss any more.

Laura watched him, the man she loved, as they walked through the house. She saw him staring at the photos and could guess what was going through his mind – all the things he had missed out on in his son’s life and she knew how hard that must be for him.

As they came into the large kitchen, Kate turned to him with a smile and said quietly, “So, are you ready to meet your son?”  

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied with a nervous smile of his own, tugging on his ear lobe, as he looked out the kitchen window and caught a glimpse of the young boy with a shock of jet black hair, so like his own.

“Harry..our guests are here,” Kate called out the back door.

“Okay Mum,” he replied as he picked up the ball and came inside.

Remington stared at him for a moment, swallowing the lump of emotion that immediately came to his throat. It was like looking at a younger version of himself – from his hair, a lock of which had fallen over his forehead, to his deep blue eyes, even his smile was the same. He was tall and lean like his father as well, already taller than his mother. Laura found herself getting a little emotional as well, as she fought to contain herself so as not to give anything away. She stole a glance at Remington to observe his reaction to seeing his son face to face for the first time.

Kate too had to hurriedly blink back the tears that had sprung to her eyes - finally, after all these years, they get to meet, she thought to herself.

She found her voice. ”Harry, I’d like you to meet my friends, Remington Steele and Laura Holt.”  

“Pleased to meet you Mr Steele, Miss Holt,” Harry replied politely as he went to shake both their hands. As he shook Mr Steele’s hand and looked at him, Harry couldn’t help but notice that he looked an awful lot like him. Kate watched their interaction – she knew that look in her son’s eyes, it meant his brain was ticking over something and she wondered if he had guessed the truth.

Remington shook his son’s hand, trying not to stare at him. “Call me Remington,” he stated with a smile, stopping himself from saying ’Dad’.  “I’m very pleased to meet to meet you too Harry,” he added, trying to hide the catch in his voice.

 “And you can call me Laura,” she stated with a smile as well, as she shook Harry’s hand. ”It’s lovely to meet you Harry,” she added, marvelling at how much he reminded her of his father. Even his accent was similar – a cultured English accent with a hint of Irish from his mother. Harry’s however had been acquired through his education, rather than being tutored by a mentor as Remington’s was.

“Ah well... why don’t we all sit down and have a drink?” Kate said a little hurriedly as she motioned to the kitchen table. ”You’re a Manchester man Harry?” Remington asked, noticing the football jersey his son was wearing, trying to sound casual while his emotions - love, happiness, pride & regret – burned inside him.

“Sure am,” Harry replied, a lopsided grin crossing his face. “How about you Mr Steele,, I mean Remington? Do you follow football?” he asked.

 “Well they don’t have it on the tv as much in America as I would like, but I try and watch a game when I can. I used to follow Manchester myself back in the day,” Remington replied as he shared a meaningful look with Kate.

“Harry, why don’t you and Mr Steele go outside and have a kick around?  He might be able to show you a thing or two,” Kate suggested with a smile, hoping it would give the two of them a chance to get to know each other.

“Sure Mum,” Harry replied enthusiastically. ”Would you like to Mr Steele... sorry, Remington?” he asked.

A smile lit up Remington’s face. “I’d love to Harry, although I warn you I haven’t played for quite a while – I might be a bit rusty,” he laughed as he followed him outside, closing the door behind them.

With that Kate let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. ”That went well,” Laura remarked with a warm smile.

“Yes it did... thank goodness,” Kate agreed as she smiled back at her.

”He’s the spitting image of him isn’t he?” Laura remarked as Kate nodded with a grin.

”Yes he is – I didn’t get much of a look in at all.” As she said this Laura thought how hard it must have been in some ways for Kate to live with a constant reminder of her first love who had left her.

“He’s a wonderful young man Kate – he’s a credit to you,” Laura stated sincerely.

“Thanks. I’ve tried to do the best I can for him.”.

Laura hesitated then went on. “I hope you don’t mind me being here - I didn’t want to intrude, after all this is between the two of you, or should I say the three of you, but he asked me to come with him.”                              

Kate smiled and shook her head. “Not at all – in fact I’m glad you’re here. He needs you – I know this isn’t going to be easy for him,” she stated as she gazed out the window at her son and his father, finally together, and a tear come to her eye.

”Can I ask you something?” Laura went on as Kate nodded. “Why didn’t you tell him about Harry when you were in Los Angeles?”

Kate sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I did try a couple of times but there never seemed to be the right time and..” she hesitated then went on, “when I realised he was in love with you I didn’t want him to feel obligated to me just because we have a child together. I didn’t want him deciding to come back to me because of Harry while all the time he’d be thinking of you - that wouldn’t have been fair on anyone. I guess I had two hearts to think of,” she replied as she looked out the window at her son. “And I knew he belonged with you,” Kate stated frankly, smiling at Laura as she did so.

“Thank you,” Laura replied sincerely, returning the smile.

“I think your secretary guessed though – she saw a photo of Harry in my purse and put two and two together. I asked her to keep her suspicions to herself though.” Laura nodded, remembering how she’d been surprised at Mildred’s less than shocked reaction when they’d told her the news that Remington had a son.

“Yes she did – she didn’t say anything though until we told her about Harry,” Laura reassured her.

“So I gather you two have sorted some things out then?” Kate asked with a grin, in reference to Laura & Remington, as Laura nodded with a grin of her own.

 “You were right – he’s definitely a twenty,” Laura replied as they both laughed, remembering the conversation they’d had back in LA. “So how’s your arm?” she then asked Kate.

“Oh it’s getting there – my doctor reckons with a bit more physical therapy it should be right as rain.”

They fell into a companionable silence for a moment or two then Laura remarked. “It must have been hard for you - being so young, finding yourself pregnant and alone and just as your career was starting.”

 Kate nodded. “It wasn’t easy that’s for sure.  Being an unwed mother with no father on the scene in the early 1970’s, still very much had a stigma attached to it. Most people expected me to give him up for adoption or not even have him at all, but there was no way I was going to do that. Miles was very good to me and helped me out – I’m not sure what I would have done without him really. I don’t know how many back stage dressing rooms Harry fell asleep in when he was a baby with makeup artists and roadies acting as babysitters,” Kate stated with a nostalgic smile, remembering when Harry was small. “I did what I had to do - I guess it made me grow up fast. When I managed to start making a bit of money I was able to get a part-time nanny which helped, but I’ve always tried to be a hands on mum as much as I can. I was luckier in a lot of ways than a lot of other single mums really.”

“How did you keep the fact you were pregnant and then had a child out of the press?” Laura asked. She’d never read anything about Kate having a child or seen any photos of the two of them together.

A smile crossed Kates’ face. “Well it was certainly a challenge. There was a lot of baggy clothes, and interviews and music videos shot from the chest up when I was pregnant – and a guitar helps to hide things as well,’ she stated a little wryly. “Miles had a few contacts at the papers too – he managed to convince them to keep things out of there. And then once I had him I become very protective of my privacy and his really. I wanted him to have as normal a childhood as possible – I didn’t want paparazzi following him to school and the like.”

“So that’s why you stopped touring and dropped out of the spotlight?” Laura asked perceptively as Kate nodded.

 “Yes and I wanted to focus on him while he was little. When he started boarding school earlier this year Miles suggested it might be time to think about resurrecting my career and start performing again, now that he’s older and more independent. Plus, I’ve got a bit more time on my hands now when Harry’s at school. I guess I didn’t want the fact that I’m famous to impact on his life too much, and also so he could make his own way in the world and not just be known as Kate Kelly’s son. I suppose that’s going to be a bit of a challenge now too, given that his father’s a famous detective but I’ll guess that’s just another thing we’ll have to work out how we handle,”’ she stated as her gaze drifted to the window to watch her son and his father, who were having their own conversation.

As they kicked the ball back & forth to each other Remington asked Harry about all the things he liked to do, his favourite subjects at school and the like, and what his life had been like so far, trying to find out as much as he could about his son, who until very recently he didn’t even know existed.

Harry also had a few questions of his own. “So how do you know my Mum?” he asked as Remington swallowed the lump in his throat.

 “Ah..we knew each other a long time ago in London when we were teenagers,” he replied, trying to sound casual.

Harry hesitated for a moment then looking at the man standing in front of him said, “Did you know my dad?”

That stopped Remington in his tracks. He wasn’t prepared for that question, his mind madly scrambling to come up with an answer. Should I just come right out and tell him? he wondered desperately.

Just then Kate opened the back door and called to them, “Lunch is ready,” as Remington silently breathed a sigh of relief.

 “Well we better not keep your mother waiting eh?’ he said to Harry with a grin then added as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder, “We’ll finish that conversation another time hey mate?” Harry nodded as they went inside together.

                                    ***********************************************

A couple of days later Remington went back to Kate’s house, this time by himself. Laura gave him a kiss and wished him luck as he got into the cab, knowing this was something he had to do on his own – this was his & Kate’s and their son’s moment. Today he was going to tell Harry he was his father. He had asked Kate if he could tell him – it was the least he could do he thought, after all these years.

When the cab pulled up outside Kate’s place, he paid the driver then got out, wiping his clammy hands on his legs before going up the path and ringing the doorbell. Kate answered it, looking as nervous as he felt. She wasn’t sure how Harry would react to the news – would he be happy, angry, upset, confused? She desperately wanted it to go well and she didn’t want their son to get hurt.

“Hi,” they greeted each other with nervous smiles. ”He’s upstairs in his room,” Kate informed him as Remington came inside. He nodded, steeling himself to do what he knew he must.

”Kate before I tell him, I just wanted to say thank you,” he stated sincerely.

”For what?” she asked.

 “For giving me a son – for carrying him, giving birth to him, raising him by yourself for 13 years. And for letting me be a part of his life,” he said, his blue eyes filled with emotion.

 “You’re welcome,” Kate replied with a watery smile as they shared a heartfelt hug.

“Well here goes – better late than never eh?” he stated with a lopsided grin, trying to hide his nerves. Kate nodded and looked intently at him – the moment she had waited so long for, for her son to finally find out who his father was, had arrived.

“I’ll be here if either of you need me,” she stated with a smile. “I wish I could tell you how he’s going to react but I just don’t know,” she confessed.

 “Well I guess we’ll find out eh?” Remington replied with a smile as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

 “His room’s the first on the right up the stairs,” Kate informed him as she watched him go up the stairs to their son’s room.

Remington stopped outside Harry’s bedroom door and took a deep breath. He could hear him playing the guitar and a proud smile crossed his face - he had obviously inherited his mother’s talent. With a pang of guilt, he wondered what he could teach his son – how to pick a pocket or a lock? he thought a little regretfully. He hesitated for a moment then knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Harry called. “Oh hi Mr Steele... I mean Remington,” he greeted him, surprised to see him standing there.

“Hi Harry – sorry to disturb you. You sounded pretty good there mate,” Remington said with a smile.

”Thanks,” Harry replied with the same smile. “Mum taught me how to play”.  

“She’s pretty great your Mum hey?” Remington stated fondly.

“The best,” Harry agreed with a grin as Remington nodded with a smile.

“I didn’t know you were coming over today. Is Miss Holt, I mean Laura with you?” he asked a little hopefully as Remington tried to hide his smile. The lad’s got a little crush on her – like father, like son, he realised with a degree of amusement.

”No not today – she ah... had some things she needed to do. I was wondering actually if we could finish that chat we were having the other day - about your dad,” Remington stated seriously. ”Mind if I sit down?”

Harry nodded and looked at him expectantly as he sat down. Remington hesitated for a few moments, trying to find the right words to tell him. “I want to tell you a story Harry to explain to you who your father is,” Remington said, his voice quiet, as he looked intently at his son, whose intent blue eyed gaze mirrored his own.

Harry nodded. “Sure.”

Remington cleared his throat to calm his nerves a bit, tugging an ear lobe as he did so, then began. “It’s a story about a boy who also called himself Harry,” he started with a smile. “He didn’t know if that was his real name though – to this day he doesn’t know what his real name is, he’s had quite a few over the years. You see Harry, this young boy didn’t have a great mum like you. Well she may have been a great mum but he never knew her,” he stated a little wistfully.

”And like you, he never knew his father. So he was passed around between various distant relatives, a couple of foster families, and some orphanages, never really feeling like he belonged anywhere or to anyone. So when he was a couple of years younger than you are now, he decided to head out on his own from Ireland where he’d been born and spent his childhood, to England. He stowed away on a ferry from Dublin and came to London.”

“He ran away from home?’ young Harry stated incredulously.

“Well in a manner of speaking – you see Harry, he never really felt like he had a home, not a real one anyway. So he tried his luck on the streets of London – the ah... rougher parts, not like round here,” Remington added a little drolly. “It was hard but he learnt how to survive - he did what he had to do, not all of it things he was very proud of,” he stated seriously. Harry listened, fascinated.

“Anyway, about 5 or so years after coming to London, when he was a few years older than you, he met a beautiful young girl one day. She was Irish by birth, just like him. She was busking at a tube station and she had the voice of an angel”, Remington went on as the memories came flooding back to him. “They became friends and eventually fell in love,” he added with a smile.

“You’re talking about my mum?” Harry guessed as Remington nodded.

”And then not too long afterwards the girl, your mum, was discovered by a record producer who recognised her talent and offered her a record deal. Her star was on the rise and all her hard work was paying off. Before they knew it she was on the verge of becoming a successful recording artist and…Harry started to worry.”

“What about?” young Harry asked, a bit confused.

Remington sighed. “He started to worry that she wouldn’t need him anymore, that he would only hold her back. He was just a kid from the streets after all.”  

“So what did he do?” his son asked.

Remington hesitated for a moment, feeling the familiar pang of guilt and regret. “He left her,” he stated simply as he watched the look of anger cross his son’s face.

“I know that must be hard for you to hear Harry. Believe me, the Harry in this story regretted that decision and regretted hurting her ever since. He was young and foolish, just 18 then. You see all his life whenever he’d got close to someone they’d let him down in some way, so I guess he got scared that history would repeat itself, so he left her before she had the chance to leave him. Unbeknowns to him, well to both of them at that point, the girl, your mother, was pregnant with you.”

Harry was silent for a few moments then asked, “So where did my father go? What happened to him?”

Remington got up and walked over to the bedroom window and looked out.  “He went everywhere Harry. A lot of different names, a lot of different places. He travelled around, tried his hand at many things, never staying in one place too long, until about three years ago anyway.”

Harry looked at the man standing in front of him, wondering how he knew all this and suddenly the penny dropped. What he had hoped and dreamed of for so long, meeting his father – was he standing here now in front of him? he wondered. “You said my father had a lot of different names over the years,” he stated as he looked at Remington and tried to blink back the tears that suddenly sprung to his eyes.

“Yes he did Harry,” Remington replied, trying to fight back his own tears.

Harry gulped down the lump in his throat then summoning up his courage asked, “So what’s his name now? Is it Remington Steele? Are you my dad?” 

Remington looked at his son, not trying to hide his tears anymore, the emotion of the moment overwhelming him as he nodded. “You’re a smart lad Harry,” he said with a smile. “Yes I am. I’m the Harry in the story – I’m your father.”

Kate had crept quietly up the stairs to sit on the landing outside Harry’s room to listen to their conversation and also to be close by in case they needed her. She also had tears streaming down her face by this point as she heard him finally tell their son the truth.

Harry paused for a moment, trying to stop himself from crying. “Why didn’t Mum tell me?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“I asked her if I could tell you – I felt I owed that to you and her after all these years,” Remington replied sincerely. “I know it can’t have been easy not having a dad for thirteen years, believe me I know that feeing, and I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you and your mum. If I had known, I would have been there for you both, I assure you. But I only found out about you just recently Harry. Your mum and I hadn’t seen each other for almost fourteen years and then as fate would have it we ran into each other when she was in Los Angeles a few months ago. When your mum got back home she wrote me a letter telling me we had a son. So I knew I had to meet you and tell you the truth. I’d like to be part of your life Harry, if you’d like that,” Remington stated sincerely, his blue eyes searching his son’s for acceptance & understanding.

Harry was quiet for a moment or two taking it all in, which seemed like forever to Remington as he waited to see what his son’s reaction would be. “I…I’d like that,” he replied with a watery smile as his father smiled back at him. ”So what do I call you? Mr Steele? Remington? Harry?” he asked.

Remington paused then said hopefully,” I was kind of hoping you might like to call me Dad.”

Harry looked at him, by now the tears freely flowing down his face as he got up and flung himself into his father’s arms. Remington hugged him back, holding him close and planting a kiss on the top of his head, running a hand through his son’s hair, so like his own. “Oh Harry... son,” he murmured, his voice raw with emotion.

With that, Kate opened the door and came and hugged them both, the three of them crying together. When they had composed themselves a bit, young Harry stated with a grin, “I kind of had a hunch you might be my dad – well I hoped anyway. We do kind of look alike.”

 Remington grinned proudly back at him & Kate. “That we do son, that we do.”

The three of them then went downstairs to talk. “So obviously there’s a few things your Dad and I need to work out Harry,” Kate said to their son as they sat down at the kitchen table, “But is there anything you’d like to ask us or you want to talk about? I know this is a pretty big revelation to deal with.”

Harry was silent for a moment or two looking at both of his parents sitting there next to each other, both of them watching him expectantly. “Are the two of you getting back together?” he asked with more than a little hope as Remington and Kate exchanged a somewhat uncomfortable glance.

“Do you want to answer that or will I?” Kate asked.

“No I will,” Remington replied as he cleared his throat. “No mate we’re not,” he stated simply as Harry tried to hide his disappointment. “Laura and I well, we’re more than just business associates – we’re partners in life as well as work. But your mother will always have a special place in my heart and we’ll both always be here for you,” he explained gently as Kate nodded.

“Okay, I understand,” Harry replied quietly, but both of his parents wondered if he did really. As he said that he looked at his mother and noticed a flicker of something in her eyes.

There was a bit of an awkward silence then Remington said, “So I’d like you to come to LA at some stage so we can spend some time together – how does that sound? I’ll need to work it out with your Mum around your school terms and everything of course.”

“That sounds great – I’ve always wanted to go to America,” Harry replied with excitedly with a grin that mirrored his father’s.

Kate smiled at the two of them then said “How about I get us all some lunch? Do you guys want to have a kick around with the football or something while you’re waiting?” she suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Remington replied with a smile as Harry nodded enthusiastically then he raced upstairs to grab his football.

“I guess I knew that question was going to come up – didn’t make it any easier to answer though,” Remington admitted with a sigh as he gave Kate a meaningful look.

She nodded and replied “No it didn’t”, avoiding his gaze as she got up from the table and busied herself getting things out of the fridge for lunch. As she bent over and her top rode up a bit, Remington caught sight of the tattoo across her lower back that he’d discovered a few months back.

“You never did tell me what that symbol was and what the words meant,” he remarked.

Kate stood up and looked at him. “It’s the Celtic symbol for motherhood and the words, _Mo chroi, mo shaol’_ mean in Gaelic, ‘My heart, my life’. I got it done after I had Harry,” she explained.

He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s beautiful Kate,” he stated sincerely as he smiled at her and the sudden intensity of emotion that swept over Kate took her a bit by surprise. She had thought she had been getting over him but seeing him with Harry had brought all those feelings that she’d tried to bury back to the surface again.

Not knowing what to say she just looked at him intently, trying to fight back her tears. “Excuse me for a moment, I ah... just need to grab something,” she said hurriedly as she left the room, not really trusting herself to stay in that close proximity to him at that moment.

Remington observed her reaction with a pang of guilt & regret, knowing that this couldn’t be easy for her and that as much as he would like to he couldn’t take her pain away as he knew it was Laura, the love of his life, that he belonged with.  He sighed and rubbed his forehead just as Harry came back into the kitchen, ball in hand.

“Ready Dad?” he asked with a grin as Remington smiled back at him, both of them liking the sound of the name ‘Dad’. “Sure am,” Remington replied, wondering to himself a little how they were going to work this all out.

                                    **********************************************

Later on that night after Remington had left, Kate went in to Harry’s room to give him a kiss goodnight before he went to sleep. “How you doing kiddo?” she asked as she came and sat down on the bed next to him. “I know that was a pretty intense day for you,” she added as she lovingly brushed the lock of hair off his forehead that reminded her so much of his father.

Harry nodded then said “I’m okay Mum. I mean it’s a lot to take in but well it’s kind of nice to finally have a Dad,” he admitted as she smiled.

“He’s a good man Harry and I know he’ll be a good father to you,” she stated sincerely.

Harry hesitated for a moment then said “Mum can I ask you something?”.

 “Of course you can sweetheart,” she replied.

 “You still love him don’t you?” he asked perceptively, his blue eyes that were so like his father’s holding hers intently.

A bittersweet smile crossed Kate’s face. “Can’t get anything past you can I tiger?’ she laughed softly as he grinned at her. It had just been the two of them for so long they were very attuned to each other and their bond was very strong.

Kate sighed, wondering how to answer. “I guess I always will love him in a way Harry. But sometimes in life, despite how we might be feeling, we have to do what’s right. And what’s right for your father and ultimately for us as well, is for him to be with Laura.” she replied.

 “But...” Harry went to argue but Kate shook her head and put a finger to his lips.

“There’s no buts Harry,” she stated firmly. “Your father and I are different people now to those two kids we were back in Brixton and we live in two very different worlds. Sometimes life doesn’t always work out how we planned but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” she explained to him, trying to convince herself as well. “Our paths crossed again for a reason and that was for the two of you to meet and get to know each other, not for your dad and I to get back together.”

Harry pondered this then hugged his mother. “Will you be okay Mum?’ he asked with concern.

“Are you kidding me Harry? Your mum’s a pretty tough old broad you know,” she laughed, putting on a brave front for him. 

“Well you’re not that old,” he laughed too as she took a playful swipe at him.

“Now how about you get some sleep hey? You’ve had a pretty big day,” she said as she gave him a meaningful look and a peck on the cheek.

 “Night Mum – I love you,” Harry stated as he settled down under the covers.

“I love you too my blue eyed boy,” Kate whispered with a smile and a tear in her eye as she affectionately ran a hand over his head then left him to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Remington visited Miles Walker at his London office/recording studio. As he walked into the building which had been updated and extended quite a bit since he’d last entered its doors a lifetime ago, he had a sudden flashback of himself as a brash, young 17 year old walking in there with Kate the day she signed her record contract – the day their lives began to change, ultimately pulling them apart. He remembered with a smile how he’d pulled the ‘tough guy’ routine on Miles, wanting to ensure he wasn’t going to rip Kate off. 

Putting the memories back where they belonged, he greeted the receptionist at the front desk with a smile and asked for Miles Walker. He took a seat while the receptionist rang through to Miles’s office telling him a Remington Steele was there to see him. While he waited for Miles in the reception area, he looked around and noticed a few gold records hanging on a wall and noticed with a smile that one belonged to ‘KK and the Beat'. He remembered how he had told Kate confidently on that fateful day years ago, that one day she would have a gold record hanging on that wall. He was just looking at it when Miles came out into the reception area. “Har... Mr Steele,” he corrected himself as he greeted the younger man, wondering to himself why he was there, although he had an idea.

“Miles – good to see you again,” Remington greeted him as they shook hands. “Sorry to drop by unannounced but I was just wondering if you’d have a few minutes.” Miles nodded then showed him into his office.

“You’ve extended since I was here last,” Remington remarked with a smile.

“What can I say? Business has been good,” Miles replied politely then got to the heart of the matter. “Kate told me you were coming to London – so she told you about Harry then?”

Remington nodded. “I guess those cryptic comments you made to me when you were in LA make sense now,” he said with a smile. “Actually that’s why I’m here Miles – I wanted to thank you for looking after my son over the years, as well as Kate,” he added sincerely.

 Miles nodded in acknowledgement, saying “You’re welcome,” biting his tongue from saying, “Someone had to.”

Remington then went on. ”I want to assure you Miles that now I know about Harry I’m going to do the right thing by him and be a proper father to him.”

At that Miles looked at him seriously. “I’m glad to hear it,” he replied then hesitated before adding “And what about Kate? Are you going to do the right thing by her?” as he looked expectantly at Remington who looked decidedly uncomfortable.

 “You mean are we getting back together? Ah... no, we’re not,” he replied as Miles’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“I thought finding out about your son would have changed your mind on that point,” Miles stated.

At this Remington sighed, “Look Miles I appreciate you’re concerned about Kate but we’ve sorted it out between us.”

“Have you? Really I mean?” Miles challenged him as Remington looked a bit perturbed. “All I know is I had to help that girl pick up the pieces of her life after you left her – why do I get the feeling I’m going to have to do it again? How do you think it is for her to watch you with your son and know that she doesn’t have a future with you? You may have spent the last fourteen years trying to forget her, but she’s had to live every day with a constant reminder of you.  Let me tell you something - your leaving her all those years ago almost broke her, but I watched her pull herself together for her son – for your son, while you were off doing heaven knows what!” Miles stated rather angrily.

Remington looked at him, a little stunned but also a bit angered by his outburst. “Miles I know it’s not easy for her but what do you want me to do? If I went back to her just so we can play ‘happy families’ I wouldn’t be being honest with her or myself and I’m not going to do that to her or our son,” he tried to explain himself. “I’m in a committed relationship and Kate knows that,” he added, his jaw clenching a bit.

“Just how committed?” Miles questioned.

 “Very,” Remington confirmed, then added, “in fact I’m planning to ask Laura to marry me in the not too distant future.”

That stopped Miles in his tracks a bit. “I see,” he replied. “Have you told Kate this? You owe her that at least.”

“I know I do. I haven’t told her yet – but I will,” he assured Miles. The two of them fell silent for a moment or two, neither really knowing what to say. Remington finally broke the silence. “Miles I still care a great deal about Kate...” he started to say.

“But you don’t love her?” Miles interjected.

At that Remington shook his head and looked at him, his blue eyed gaze intense. “Not in the romantic sense anymore, no – but I love her as a friend and as the mother of my son.”

“And yet you slept with her when she was in LA,” Miles pointed out.

“Yes well neither of us planned that – it just well…happened,” Remington replied a little awkwardly.

Miles shook his head at him, his mind suddenly going back to the past, remembering a younger version of the man sitting in front of him. A cocky, smart ass kid full of bravado who he had felt was not the right guy for his young star, but who he knew had a pretty strong hold over her -  a hold he suspected he still had.

“You haven’t changed have you? Oh you might have changed your name & your clothes & accent but underneath you’re still that irresponsible, arrogant kid who left his girlfriend pregnant – you need to start thinking with your head don’t you think, rather than another part of your anatomy?” Miles threw at him, 14 years of built up anger at the younger man coming to the fore.

 “Now hold on a bloody minute Miles – it’s not like I forced Kate into doing anything that night, she wanted it as much as I did, and quite frankly as I recall telling you about 15 years ago, mine and Kate’s relationship is not really any of your business,” Remington shot back at him, his own temper starting to get the better of him.

“Well you made it my business when you left her and I was all she had,” Miles pointed out as he gave him a meaningful look, not willing to back down, feeling these were things the younger man needed to hear.

Remington went to say something in reply then stopped himself, realising that the conversation was getting a bit heated and was getting them nowhere. He hadn’t come there to fight with Miles. He looked down at the floor for a moment then looked at the older man. “Miles I assure you if I had known about Kate being pregnant I would have been there for her and our son. But I can’t change the past, as much as I might like to – and believe me I will always regret not being there for them both.” he admitted. “And I want to try and make up for not being there for the two of them as much as I can,” he added and as Miles looked at him he knew he meant it.

“I’m just trying to get to know my son and be a father to him. I know you’ve been a big part of his life and I appreciate that and I understand your concern for Kate. I know I’ve done nothing to deserve your trust Miles but I’m asking you for Kate and Harry’s sakes to give me a chance to make this right – well as much as I can,” Remington stated sincerely.

Miles paused for a moment then nodded with a sigh. “Okay, okay,” he relented. “But if you hurt that boy I swear you’ll have me to answer to – he’s like a grandson to me,” Miles warned him.

“Believe me Miles I have no intention of doing that and I think you’d have to take a number behind his mother,” Remington stated a little ruefully as despite himself Miles smiled a little as he knew how protective Kate was of her son.

“Yes I imagine so,” he agreed.

“Ah speaking of his mother – I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to her about my plans to propose to Laura,” Remington added as Miles shook his head.

“Trust me I have no intention of doing that – I’ll leave that up to you. I’d appreciate it too if you didn’t mention our conversation to her either – I don’t know how happy she’d be if she thought I was ‘sticking my nose in’”, Miles stated.

Remington nodded in agreement then said “I know you care about her a great deal - she’s lucky to have you Miles,” as he smiled genuinely at him.

“And I her. I guess I’ve come to think of her of as the daughter I never had,” Miles admitted then he said “Just do me a favour will you?” as Remington looked at him.

”Of course Miles - what?”

“Let her down easy huh?” he said, giving the younger man a pointed look as Remington nodded in agreement. He then got up to go and extended a hand to Miles who shook it, a look of understanding passing between them before Remington bade him farewell.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that week after finishing dinner with Remington, Laura, Harry and her manager Miles, Kate got up to clear away their plates from the dining room. “Kate, let me help you,” Laura said as she went to get up but Remington put a hand on her arm.

“No you sit, I’ll give her a hand,” he said with a smile as Laura nodded returning the smile, then he grabbed the rest of the plates and followed Kate out to the kitchen, leaving Laura, Miles and Harry to chat together, not before he exchanged a meaningful look with Miles.

“Ah...Kate you got a moment?” Remington asked as he came into the kitchen and nodded towards the back door leading out to the garden. Kate nodded as he held the door open for her and followed her out. She assumed he wanted to discuss something about Harry.

She watched him as he hesitated for a moment, tugging on an ear lobe as he did so. “What’s up Harry?” Kate asked, using the name she’d had first known him by, recognising the tell-tale signs of him struggling to find the right words to say.

He looked at her for a moment as a slightly nervous smile crossed his face and he blew out a breath. “Some week huh?’ he stated with a grin trying to make conversation, putting off the inevitable.

“I’ll say,” she agreed with a smile of her own, getting the feeling he was trying to work up the courage to say something. Was he having second thoughts about being a father to Harry? she suddenly worried.

”Harry seems to have taken the news quite well,” he commented as she nodded in agreement. “He’s a wonderful boy Kate – you’ve done a great job raising him,” he added sincerely.

“Thanks – yes he is a wonderful boy. And I don’t want to see him hurt,” she replied seriously, giving him a meaningful look.

 Remington looked at her a little surprised. “I have no intention of hurting him Kate,” he reassured her. “Why would you even think that?”

Kate shook her head. “I guess I just wondered what this is all about Harry – what are you getting at?” she demanded. At that he looked down at the ground for a moment, knowing what he was going to tell her would probably hurt her but he knew he had to be honest with her.

 “I actually don’t want to talk about Harry, Kate,” he said.

 “Well what do you want to talk about then?” she asked.

Remington sighed. “Kate as you know, Laura and I, well we’ve become very close these last few months…”

“Yes I think that’s great,” Kate replied genuinely as he nodded with a smile then went on.

“I guess finding out about Harry has made me realise it’s time I started making things a bit more permanent in my life, you know, put down roots that sort of thing, and I think I owe it to Harry to have a stable home environment for him when he’s with me.”

Kate nodded in agreement, wondering what he was trying to say, although she had a suspicion. “What are you trying to say Harry?” she asked, her voice quiet & her gaze intense.

Remington took a deep breath then said “I’m going to ask Laura to marry me Kate. I’m planning to surprise her with a side trip to Paris before we return to Los Angeles and propose to her there.”

Kate took a moment to absorb the news, fighting to control her emotions. If she was honest with herself, she had expected this day to arrive sooner or later but she hadn’t expected it to be quite so soon. She forced a smile onto her face. “That’s great Harry, I’m happy for you. About time someone made an honest man out of you!” she quipped, putting on a brave front.

A half smile crossed Remington’s face. She wasn’t the only one who knew the other well. He could always tell when she was putting on a brave face. “I know you better than that O’Casey. And while I appreciate your well wishes, I also realise this can’t be easy for you to hear, but I wanted you to hear it from me. And also because it’ll have an impact on Harry I guess,” he said gently, his blue eyes holding hers intently.

Kate looked down at the ground avoiding his intent gaze. She nodded, unable to find her voice for a moment. She then swallowed the lump in her throat. “Harry...I meant what I said to you in LA, I want you to be happy. And I know Laura will make you happy – I wouldn’t have walked away if I didn’t think so,” she stated honestly. “And I know she’ll be good to Harry,” she added as Remington nodded in agreement.

He paused for a moment then asked softly “Are you going to be okay Katie?”

At that she nodded and gave him a half smile.  “Don’t worry – I will be,” she reassured him.

He smiled gratefully at her and then hugged her. “Thankyou – for everything,” he murmured into her hair as she nodded against his chest, fighting back her tears. “I guess we should get back inside eh?” he stated.

“You go on in – I’ll be in in a moment,” Kate replied as Remington nodded understandingly then went inside, leaving her to her thoughts.

 When he came back into the living room where Laura, Miles and Harry had moved to, Laura asked him, “All done?” in reference to the washing up.

“Yes – all done,” he replied rather distractedly _,_ realising he had just closed a door that needed to be closed in order for him to open another one – the door to the rest of his life.

                                                                ****************************

Later that night after Remington, Laura and Miles had left and Harry was asleep, Kate hopped in the shower and finally let her tears flow freely. When she got out she looked in the mirror, her gaze focused on the diamond earring in her ear, as a host of memories of the bond it signified came flooding back to her. With a deep breath she steeled her resolve and took the earring out.

“Enough tears now O’Casey - it’s time to let him go,” she told herself firmly as she took one last look at the earring then put it away in a drawer.

The next morning as they ate breakfast, Harry happened to look at his mother and noticed she wasn’t wearing the diamond earring that she had worn for as long as he could remember. “Where’s your earring Mum – the diamond one? You didn’t lose it did you?” he asked curiously as Kate smiled at him a little wryly.

“No boyo, I just thought it was time for a change – I’ve been wearing that one for far too long,” she replied as she affectionately ruffled his hair then changed the subject, preferring not to discuss it any further.

                                    ********************************************************

The next day while Remington and Kate were going through a joint custody arrangement for Harry with Kate’s lawyer, Laura found herself alone with Harry, “How are you going Harry? Pretty big week for you huh?’ Laura asked with a smile as he nodded. “I’ll say Miss Holt... I mean Laura,” he replied a little shyly. “It’s been a pretty big week for your Dad too - well for all of us I guess,” she confessed. “Actually I’m glad we’ve got this chance to chat Harry and get to know each other a little better. “

 Harry smiled then said “So you’re Dad’s girlfriend and you work together too? That must be exciting being a private detective.” 

Laura nodded. “Yes it can be exciting sometimes,“ then she added sincerely, “And I want you to know that I love your Dad very much. He’s a wonderful man and I know he’s going to be a great father to you.”

“It’s kinda cool to finally have a Dad,” Harry admitted with a grin that was so like his father’s Laura noticed, as she replied “I’m sure it is,” then added. ”And I’m looking forward to having you as part of our life when you come to visit us in LA.”

“I’m looking forward to that too,” Harry stated with a smile.

Laura hesitated for a moment as she looked at the young boy, a lock of black hair falling over his forehead. “Harry I just want you to know that I’m not trying to replace your mom but I would like for us to be friends. How does that sound?” she said with a warm smile.

“That sounds good,” Harry agreed with a smile of his own.

They chatted & laughed together for a while, getting to know each other, Laura amazed at how much Harry reminded her of his father. Apart from his physical resemblance to Remington, his personality and even his mannerisms were similar. “I’ve got a nephew, Danny, he’s around your age – just a little bit younger. Maybe you two can hang out when you come visit your Dad,” Laura suggested.

“That sounds good,” Harry replied.

”I know this is going to be all new for you Harry – having your father in your life and spending some of your time in another country but I know between all of us we can make this work. And if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know okay?’ Laura said with a warm smile.

“Thanks Laura – I appreciate that. It’s going to be kind of different for a while I guess – I mean it’s just been me & Mum for as long as I can remember,” Harry confessed as she nodded.

“I’m sure with time it’ll become second nature”, Laura reassured him. “And I know one thing Harry– your father loves you very much and he wants to do what’s right for you,” she added as he nodded.

“I know he does,” Harry agreed. “I guess he knows what it feels like to not know who your father is,” he added perceptively, showing a wisdom beyond his years.

 “Yes indeed he does,” Laura agreed as she wondered if Remington would ever find his own father…


	5. Chapter 5

On their last night in London Remington awoke sometime after midnight to find the now familiar warmth of Laura’s body not next to him in the bed. He looked around the hotel room then saw her standing out on the balcony, his robe wrapped around her. Deep in thought as she gazed out over the city lights she didn’t hear him come up behind her and slip his arms around her.

”Couldn’t sleep?” he asked softly. She shook her head as she covered his hands with her own. There was a slight tension to her body that he knew signalled she was worried about something. “What’s wrong my love?” he whispered in her ear as a smile crossed her face at how well he knew her.

She sighed as she leant back into him a bit as he tightened his embrace. “Just thinking,” she replied, her voice quiet. Hmmm… Laura thinking – not always a good sign he mused, knowing how that pretty little head of hers often got carried away thinking too much.

“About?’ he pressed her gently as he rested his head atop of hers.

She hesitated for a moment. “About Harry and Kate and…us,” she confessed.

At that he turned her around to face him, a concerned look crossing his face. True, the time they’d spent in London over the past week had been emotionally intense for all of them as he came face to face with his son for the first time and had revealed to him he was his father, but he thought Laura had been okay with it all. At least that’s what she’d told him. Not wanting to rush her, Remington waited patiently for her to explain.

She looked up at him and he caught the faint glimmer of tears in her deep brown eyes. “Harry needs his parents,” she stated simply as Remington suddenly understood what she was getting at and what was troubling her.

 “Yes he does,” he agreed, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be together.  I know it’s only early days and there’s still a lot I need to work out with Kate about when he’ll spend time with us, but I think together we’ll be able to make it work.”

Laura looked at him as he said the word ‘us’ and it lightened her heart somewhat. “Laura as I told you when I first found out about Harry, this doesn’t change anything between us, not from my perspective anyway. Does it for you?” he asked, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.

“No,” she answered truthfully as he breathed a sigh of relief. “I guess I just wondered if you had known about him before, would you have chosen Kate over me? That is, if she hadn’t made the choice for you by walking away,” she voiced her fears.

With that Remington lifted her chin to face him. “No,” he stated without hesitation, knowing in his heart it was true. “She didn’t make the choice for me Laura - for me there was never any choice, not really,’ he reassured her with a smile. “And if I had chosen to go back to her I wouldn’t have been being honest with myself or Kate and I think she knew that. I suspect that’s why she didn’t tell me when she was in Los Angeles. Ultimately that wouldn’t have done Harry any good either, for Kate and I to be trying to play happy families, when all the time I would have been thinking of you,” he confessed with a smile. ”He did ask Kate and I if that was a possibility, his mother and I getting back together I mean, but we both explained to him why it wasn’t.”

At that Laura avoided his intent gaze. “He probably hates me - thinking I’ve dragged you away from his mother,” she stated as she shook her head. “I remember when my father left – he ran off with his secretary. I hated that woman with a passion for taking him away from my mother and from me,” she confessed, the demons of her past still haunting her.

“Laura, this is different. You’re not taking me away from him,” Remington pointed out gently.  “He likes you Laura – in fact I’d go so far as to say he has a bit of a crush on you. And what teenage boy wouldn’t? Remember that young fellow Chris, when we drove him & his sister to Arizona? I must say Harry takes after his old man in that regard,” Remington quipped with a devilish grin, trying to lighten the moment as despite herself Laura found herself smiling.

”Look Laura, you & Harry are the two most important people in the world to me and as he’s going to be dividing his time between me & his mother he’ll be spending quite a bit of time with us, so it heartens me to know the two of you get along. And I can assure you no-one thinks you’ve ‘dragged me away’ from his mother. That was my choice a long time ago.”

When she didn’t reply Remington brushed a stray hair from her face. “Laura I love you…more than I’ve ever loved another woman, or ever will, including Kate,” he stated sincerely, his blue eyes shining with his love for her. “Granted she’ll always have a special place in my heart I guess – she is the mother of my child and was my first love, but Laura, you are my life,” he reassured her, his gaze intense as he kissed her tenderly, kissing her fears and doubts away.

Sensing she needed to know more about what he had shared with Kate, in order to fully understand how it was different to what he felt for her, he took her by the hand and led her back inside. “Come back to bed love – there’s things I need to tell you.”

She followed him as they sat down on the bed. He put an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He paused for a moment wondering where to start. “When I met Kate I was a brash, angry young sixteen, almost seventeen year old street kid. I’d met Daniel a couple of years before and he was in the process of trying to ‘refine’ me for want of a better word, but well I guess there were still a few rough edges,’ he stated wryly as a smile crossed Laura’s face. “I guess Kate and I just clicked – we had a bit in common, both Irish, both orphans.”

“I guess I was a bit jealous of that – all the two of you had in common, as well as your shared past,” Laura confessed. “It seemed logical you’d be with her and that you’d choose her over me.”

“Well by that reasoning you should be with Murphy then,” Remington pointed out with a grin as she grinned too despite herself.

 “Touché,” she replied, realising he had a point.

 He then continued. ”Before I met Kate I’d never really had anyone that I cared about, let alone loved – I’d never spent long enough anywhere to have a chance to really.” As he said this, Laura looked at him and suddenly caught a glimpse of that lonely, unloved, unwanted young boy he had once been and she reached up to caress his cheek, trying to take away the pain those memories clearly caused him. He gratefully covered her hand in his & kissed it.

”I guess we sort of clung to each other in a way – kind of us against the world,’ he reminisced with a smile.

“Sounds romantic,” Laura commented.

He nodded. “Yes I guess it was. I trusted her like I’d never been able to trust anyone before. She didn’t want me for what I could do for her, she just wanted me for me and that was certainly a new experience for me. But I guess my old fears still didn’t let me trust her enough,” he added somewhat regretfully as Laura realised his past, just like hers, had created all these trust issues that they both had, that the two of them had fought so hard to overcome in their own relationship.

“We were so young and naïve though,” he went on. “We were just learning about life and love and ourselves I guess. It was a very innocent type of love that we had really.”

At this Laura raised an eyebrow at him and as he realised what she was getting at a chuckle escaped his lips. “I don’t mean innocent in the sense that it wasn’t a physical, passionate relationship, obviously it was, otherwise Harry wouldn’t be here. We were hormonal teenagers after all,” he stated with a grin. “I mean we really had no idea about relationships, certainly not what it took to have an adult relationship. In some ways I guess we were just kids playing at being grown-ups. And when it started getting all very ‘grown-up’ with Kate getting her record deal and her career taking off I guess it started to get complicated. And that’s when I got scared,” he admitted.

“Do you think you would have stayed with her if you’d known she was pregnant?” Laura asked the question that had been on her mind since they’d learnt about Harry.

Remington sighed. “To tell you the truth Laura I really don’t know. I’m sure I would have felt an obligation to do the right thing by her and our son, but I was so young and I admit, immature. I don’t know how good a father I would have been at that age,” he confessed. “In some ways that may have been worse for Harry – if we’d stayed together just for his sake. Maybe we could have made it work – I don’t know.”

Laura nodded, wondering to herself if her own father had stuck around for as long as he did in an unhappy marriage just for her & Frances.

“There are two things I will always be grateful to Kate for though. The first obviously is Harry...,” Remington went on.

“And the second?” Laura asked, curious. “The second is for teaching me how to love. A young, adolescent love, true, but a love all the same. It’s taken me a long time to realise that.”

“How so?” Laura inquired.

“After I left her, I convinced myself that love, commitment, emotional attachments, whatever you want to call it, had no part in my life. It hurt too much and I was loathe to hurt anyone again like I knew I’d hurt her. So I went from one woman to the next, not letting any of them get too close. Until you of course,” he said with a smile as he brushed her temple with a kiss. “The day I met you I knew that I was a goner. And the more I got to know you the harder it was to stick to my ‘no commitments‘ rule. Despite my best efforts another stubborn, spirited, petite brunette stole my heart - with all the skill of a master thief may I add,’ he quipped as she looked up at him with a dimpled smile.

“Oh really? Why do you say that?” she laughed.

“Well you disarmed my defences, sussed out all my weak spots and finally broke down the walls I’d built to protect my heart. And then you stole it from right under my nose, before I’d even realised I think my love,” he replied with a chuckle.

Laura laughed too as she rested a hand on his chest. “Well it takes one to know one Mr Steele,” she retorted with a grin as she kissed him tenderly.

He was silent for a moment then said “As I’ve said to you before the romantic part of the relationship I had with Kate is well and truly over but the friendship that we always had still remains – luckily for Harry I guess. And I hope on that basis we can be there for Harry and for each other.” Laura nodded knowing it was true.

Remington then sighed with a smile. “In some ways I guess meeting Harry and telling him I’m his father was the easy bit. Now the hard bit comes – actually being a father to him. I don’t have the first idea how to be a father and it’s not like I’ll have his baby years or anything to figure it out along the way either. Suddenly I’ve got a teenage son on my hands and to tell you the truth Laura that kind of terrifies me,” he admitted as Laura looked at him with a loving smile.

“As I told you when we first found out about Harry I think you’ll be a great father. I’m sure it’ll be a learning curve for both of you – Harry’s never had a Dad before either remember. But I know Kate and I will be here for the two of you,” she reassured him. “I’m sure Donald would be happy to give you some tips,’ she added in reference to her brother-in-law, who as the father of three children had quite a bit of parenting experience and his & Frances’ son Danny was almost the same age as Harry.

 “I might take you up on that,” Remington replied with a smile as he pulled her closer to him. “So no more midnight worry sessions okay Miss Holt?’ he added as he tenderly ran a hand through her hair.

“Deal,” she agreed with a smile, her fears relieved.

“Anyway, I can think of so many other fun things we could be doing instead in the middle of the night,” he added with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows.

 ”Oh really - such as?” Laura replied with a cheeky grin of her own as he proceeded to show her, his thoughts momentarily drifting to the little box he had tucked away in his luggage. He had wondered if given their discussion he should have given it to her tonight to prove his commitment to her, but then he decided against it, wanting to carry out the plans he had so carefully put in place, so he could ask the most important question he would ever ask in his life in the most perfect way possible…


	6. Chapter 6

Kate & Harry came to see Remington and Laura off at their hotel before they headed off to the airport. “We’ll see you soon hey mate?” Remington said to his son as he enveloped Harry in a big bear hug and when they finally drew apart, Laura noticed a tear in Remington’s eye as well as Harry’s. They had arranged for Kate to bring him to LA soon to spend some time with his father & Laura. They also bade Kate farewell with hugs, Kate whispering “Good luck,” in Remington’s ear as she did so (while Laura gave Harry a hug) and giving him a meaningful smile.  They then got into the cab and waved goodbye, Remington leaning into the driver’s window letting him know on the quiet which terminal to take them to before he hopped in the back next to Laura.

Before they knew it at they were at Heathrow Airport. “Oh he’s taken us to the wrong terminal,” Laura commented as the cab pulled up outside the Air France terminal instead of the Pan Am one.

“No he hasn’t,” Remington replied with a devilish grin as Laura looked at him puzzled. “Well I figure we don’t need to be back in Los Angeles until Monday and you do owe me a weekend in Paris,” he quipped as his grin got wider.

“I owe you a weekend in Paris?” Laura asked as he nodded.

“I seem to remember during that case we worked on at Murphy’s college reunion, we made a deal that you would spend a weekend in Paris with me.”

“Well as I recall that deal was a draw as we both solved the case at the same time,” Laura reminded him with a smile.

“Ah but even so Laura I’ve lived up to my end of the deal – I’ve certainly given you the details of more than one year of my life” he retorted.

She had to give him that she realised and the thought of spending a romantic weekend in Paris with him, the man she loved, was very appealing. She had always wanted to go to Paris as she had never been and the thought that he had gone to all the trouble to surprise her with it tugged straight at her heart strings. ”A weekend in Paris it is then Mr Steele,” she replied with the dimpled smile he loved as she softly kissed him and they got out of the taxi.

After the short flight they touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport and collected their luggage then caught a cab to the hotel he’d booked for them – a quaint little place on the Left Bank, overlooking the Seine. A smile crossed Remington’s face as he watched Laura’s face light up with delight as she looked at the sights they passed in the cab.

 He grabbed her hand as they entered the hotel lobby and he spoke to the concierge in fluent French. Laura looked at him with some surprise – she had never heard him speak French before. ‘This man never ceases to amaze me, she thought with a grin.

”Bonjour Monsieur Steele, Mademoiselle Holt – here is your room key”, the woman behind the desk greeted them in a mixture of French and English with a smile. They followed the porter who took their bags up to their room on the top floor.

A gasp escaped Laura’s lips as Remington opened the door. The room was large without being overly so and decorated with exquisite antique furniture, Laura made a beeline for the balcony doors and opened them, stepping out to admire the view. After tipping the porter, Remington came up behind her, slipping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. “I take it you approve Laura?” he asked with a smile, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Are you kidding? I love it!” she exclaimed as she turned her head so she could kiss him on the lips. The kiss quickly deepened as he turned her around to face him and pulled her closer to him. When they finally had to pull away to catch their breath, his blue eyes were smouldering with desire. “I think if we keep this up you might never get to see the sights of Paris Laura,” he quipped, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She smiled cheekily at him as she pushed him back inside. ”We’ve got plenty of time for sight-seeing Mr Steele. Right now I’d prefer to focus on the sights in here,” she murmured as she began to unbutton his shirt and kissed him passionately, leaving him breathless in the process. ”We are in the city of love after all,” she added seductively as she ran a finger down his chest.

“That we are Miss Holt, that we are,” he replied with a grin, his lips finding hers again as they fell back on the bed together, Remington thinking to himself, if I’d known Paris would have this effect on her I would have brought her ages ago.

Sometime later they finally emerged from their room, the woman at the concierge desk giving them a knowing smile as they passed her. They took in some of the major tourist attractions – the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre. “Well this is a novelty – going in the front door,” Remington remarked with a grin as they waited in line to get into the museum. Laura rolled her eyes at him and laughed “I don’t want to know,” as he laughed as well.

They ate lunch at a quaint little café in one of the side streets off the beaten path that Remington knew so well, before going on a cruise down the Seine. “Thank you for this,” Laura said with a smile - it was the perfect way to relax after the emotionally intense week they’d had in London.

“My pleasure,” he replied with a smile as he put an arm around her, pulling her close to him as they sat together on the boat.

“Oh we definitely have to go there,” Laura stated, pointing at the Eiffel Tower as they passed near it.

A smile crossed Remington’s face as he replied “And we shall my love but I was thinking we could go there tonight – the view is much more spectacular at night with the city lights and everything.” She nodded in agreement, leaning back against him contentedly.

After leaving the boat they wandered down the Champs Elysees arm in arm. After a while Remington stopped then said, “Laura, I have a couple of things to do so how about you do some shopping and I’ll meet you back here say in an hour.”

She gave him a questioning look. “What do you have to do?” she asked him as he looked a little sheepish. “What happened to our ’no secrets’ policy huh?” she reminded him, wondering if he was slipping back into old habits of keeping things from her.

“All will be revealed my love – trust me,” he replied, flashing her a lopsided grin and with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. “I’ll see you back here in an hour,” he added as he gave her a quick kiss then walked off, leaving her standing there wondering what on earth he was up to.

Remington headed towards the Eiffel Tower and approached one of the security guards as a broad smile crossed his face. “Sacre bleu! Well if it isn’t John Morrell!” the man exclaimed as he saw him approach.

“Bonjour Pierre,” Remington greeted him as they shook hands and then the French man embraced him fondly.

“It’s been a long time – so what brings you back to Paris mon ami? The art perhaps?” Pierre asked, giving his old friend a knowing look, knowing full well of his former ‘activities’ in the art world.

Remington shook his head. “Nothing like that mate,” he quipped with a grin as Pierre laughed.  “Believe it or not I’ve trodden the straight and narrow for the past three and a half years – no more heists for me. I even went in the front door of the Louvre today and came out empty handed would you believe?” he laughed as did Pierre.

“Oh I thought I would never the see the day my friend – you? And what pray tell has caused you to make an honest man of yourself?” Pierre asked with a grin, quite amazed at his revelation.

“Not what, but who,” Remington replied meaningfully as Pierre nodded understandingly and then laughed again.

 “Ah I see. Am I to take it a young lady has finally snared your heart? You – who could never be tied down to one woman?”

By the happy grin on Remington’s face Pierre knew he’d guessed correctly. “That’s what I need your help with actually my friend,” Remington went on as he told Pierre of his plans for that evening, a smile crossing the other man’s face.

 “I think I can help you out John,” he replied.

 “Good man,” Remington said with a smile as he slapped him on the back.

“How did you know I was working here by the way?” Pierre asked him curiously.

“I ran into Henri in the South of France a while back. We caught up on what all the ‘old gang’ were doing,” Remington informed him, then asked with a laugh. ”Speaking of turning one’s life around – how did you get to be a security guard?”

“Well you’re not the only one to turn over a new leaf. Who better to look after security than one who used to regularly thwart it hey?” Pierre replied with a grin. They chatted for a while longer then Remington looked at his watch and realised he’d better get back to Laura.

“Till tonight then,” Pierre bid him farewell with a grin that Remington returned as he thanked him & headed off.

“I see you’ve done a bit of shopping Laura,” he remarked with a smile as he came up to her, thinking what an understatement, as he looked at the various bags & boxes she had with her.

“Well just a little,” she replied a bit sheepishly. “But how often does a girl get to shop in Paris?” she added with a grin. He picked up one of the bags and went to peek inside it but she slapped his hand away playfully. “No peeking,” she admonished him with a fake stern look. “You’re not the only one with a few surprises up their sleeve,” she added, giving him a sultry look that shook him to the core as a grin crossed his face.

“Oh I love surprises,” he replied with a boyish grin, his imagination running a bit wild, thinking about what items of clothing she may have bought, as he pulled her into his arms & kissed her.

“So did you do what you had to?” she asked curiously when they finally drew apart.

“Yes I did thanks,” he replied nonchalantly, knowing that his evasiveness was driving her crazy. Always the detective my Miss Holt, he thought to himself. “C’mon let’s head back to the hotel - we’ve got dinner at 7,” he told her as he picked up some of her shopping bags & boxes, not saying anything further about what he’d been up to.

As she watched him out of the corner of her eye as they walked along she knew she wasn’t going to get anything more out of him, no matter how she tried until he was ready to tell her. She could tell from the grin on his face that he was enjoying immensely her frustration at not knowing. She also caught a hint of something else in his expression and gestures as well as they walked along – nervousness perhaps? She wondered quizzically to herself what he could be feeling nervous about.

They got back to the hotel and dressed for dinner, Laura disappearing with a couple of the shopping bags into the bathroom for what to Remington seemed like ages. His wait was worth it though when she came back out. He was just checking his watch for the umpteenth time, fidgeting nervously as he did so and feeling again the little box he had secreted away in the inside pocket of his tux when the bathroom door opened and Laura emerged.

She was wearing a floor length, scarlet red (his favourite colour on her), off the shoulder gown with a split up the side that showed off her legs which he caught a glimpse of gartered stockings on, which brought a mischievous grin to his face. She had put her hair up in a bun with a few wisps delicately framing her face. Gold earrings adorned her ears which matched the heart pendant she wore around her neck, the one he had given her a while back. All in all, Remington thought she looked delectable.

Her eyes sparkled at him and a dimpled smile crossed her face at the look on his, as his eyes travelled over every last inch of her. “I gather by the look on your face Mr Steele that you approve,” she stated cheekily. Remington found his voice which he had momentarily lost as he took in the beautiful sight of his beloved Laura, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

“Oh yes I approve Miss Holt – very much so,” he replied, his voice husky and his eyes turning a deep cobalt blue. With that he took her into his arms and kissed her, a kiss filled with such an intoxicating combination of both tenderness and desire that Laura gladly lost herself in the kiss, in his blue eyes, in him – the man that she loved and that she knew she would love for the rest of her life.

When they finally and rather reluctantly drew apart, a dazzling smile crossed his face. “Why the smile?” Laura inquired.

“Why wouldn’t I smile Laura? I’m in Paris with a beautiful woman – the woman I love. What’s not to smile about eh?” he replied as she returned his smile with one of her own.

“Shall we?” he motioned to the door as she nodded and grabbed her purse.  As they walked past the concierge desk the attendant smiled at the handsome couple as they went out the front door of the hotel. Remington gave their destination to the taxi driver, again in fluent French.

“Just how many languages do you speak?” Laura asked with a laugh as he grinned at her.

“Oh enough to get by in quite a few –  I’ve picked up a bit here and there over the years,” he replied as he covered one of her hands with his, absently playing with her fingers, in particular her ring finger.

Before too long they arrived at their destination – one of the top French restaurants in Paris. They were shown to their table and brought glasses of champagne. “What shall we toast to?” Laura asked with a smile as she picked up her champagne glass.

“How about new beginnings?” Remington replied, his eyes holding hers intently as he picked up his own glass and clinked it with Laura’s. As they ate dinner their eyes never left each other as they talked and laughed, enjoying each other’s company. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight Laura,” Remington remarked with an appreciative smile which she returned.

“Thanks – you don’t look so bad yourself,” she replied with a smile as she took in the sight of him, looking so dashing and debonair in his white tux jacket, with matching shirt, black bow tie and pants.

After finishing their delicious dinner and dessert they left the restaurant and walked along the Seine arm in arm. “Oh I just love Paris – it’s so elegant and romantic,” Laura exclaimed as she clung onto him and Remington smiled, hoping his plans for the rest of the evening would go smoothly. Before they knew it they found themselves near the Eiffel Tower but as they got closer they saw people walking away from it, with disappointed looks on their faces. “Don’t bother folks - the lifts are closed for urgent maintenance,” a passing tourist informed them as they went to walk up to the entrance.

 “Oh no – what a shame. I was so looking forward to going up to the top,” Laura stated in a disappointed tone.

 “Don’t worry – I know a back way,” Remington replied with a grin as he grabbed her hand and took her around the base to the back of the tower. He spied his old friend Pierre who waved him over. “Follow me please,” Pierre said to them both, sharing a sly wink with Remington as he did so. They followed him to one of the lifts as he held the door open for them.

“I don’t understand – I thought the lifts were closed for maintenance?” Laura asked, a little confused. “They are – for everyone but you two Mademoiselle,” Pierre replied with a grin.

“What...? Did you arrange this?” she asked Remington with a laugh as he tried to play innocent.

 “Me?” he grinned as he playfully hit him.

“Enjoy the sights of Paris,” Pierre stated as he took Laura’s hand in his and kissed it as he grinned at Remington who gave him a pretend dirty look.

“Hey I saw her first,” he joked as Pierre quipped “Ah my old friend that may be the case, but everyone knows that French men make the best lovers.”

“Oh is that so?” Remington laughed. “Get out of here you old Casanova,” he added fondly as Pierre laughed then pushed the button for the top floor for them then closed the gate of the lift. “Enjoy the city of love!” he called to them as the lift ascended, Laura excitedly holding onto Remington as he put an arm around her and tried to calm his nerves.

It didn’t take them long to reach the top floor. Remington held the lift door open as Laura thanked him and stepped out onto the viewing platform, a delighted gasp escaping her lips as she took in the view of the lights of Paris below. “Oh Rem it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.

“Yes it is a beautiful view... simply exquisite,” he agreed but his eyes were on Laura rather than the view. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she leant back into him.

“So this was what you were organising this afternoon huh?” she asked with a smile.

“Guilty as charged,” he replied with a lopsided grin as he planted a kiss on top of her head. They stood there like that for a few minutes, Remington trying to work up the courage to carry out the final bit of his plan.

Slipping his arms from around her he bent down suddenly and Laura thought at first he was tying his shoelace or had dropped something. “Did you lose something?” she asked as she turned around to find him down on one knee.

“Yes... my heart,” he replied, as he looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with love and devotion and she looked at him a little puzzled at first and then as he pulled a little box out from his jacket pocket, she realised he was proposing to her. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise as tears sprung to her eyes and the lopsided grin that she loved crossed his face.

“Laura I think I fell in love with you that day I first walked into the agency and you told me quite firmly that you weren’t a secretary. And I think every day since then I have fallen in love with you more and more. I know it took me quite a while to admit it and we’ve certainly had our share of ups and downs but well... here we are. As I said to you a few months ago I don’t want to run anymore Laura – I want to build a life with you and my son and hopefully some children of our own. I know we’ve only been together in the truest sense of the word for a short while but I think we’ve wasted enough time over the years don’t you? So, I guess what I‘m trying to say is... Laura Elizabeth Holt, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife and making me the happiest man in the world?” Remington stated as he opened up the box to reveal a stunning ring inside with a gem of the deepest blue colour, like a piece of the sky. He looked hopefully at her, feeling like his whole life and his future happiness had come down to this point.

Laura looked at him, totally stunned as she felt her happy tears fall down her face. “Yes.. yes, of course I will,” she replied, her voice trembling with emotion as his grin got even wider, not quite believing at first what she had said.

“You will?” he asked a little incredulously, not daring to believe it.

 “Yes,” she repeated as her smile spread across her face and her deep brown eyes twinkled at him. With that she pulled him up into her arms and kissed him in such a way that left him in no doubt as to her answer. When they finally drew apart, he smiled at her then with slightly trembling hands he took the ring out of the box then took her left hand in his and placed it on her ring finger.

Laura admired it for a moment “It’ s beautiful Rem,” she remarked as she took a closer look at it, then a gasp escaped her lips. “That’s not…?” she asked as he grinned at her.

“Royal Lavulite?” he finished her question. “Yes actually it is – acquired quite legitimately I might add, to allay any fears you may have. I heard a while back of some pieces coming on the market so I decided to invest in one for the future... for our future,” he explained as he covered her hand with his own. “I thought it was rather poetic – so you always have a reminder of the case that brought us together,” he added with a smile.

 “Thank you,” she replied genuinely as they shared another long, lingering kiss, full of promise and hope.

“I’d give you the world if I could,” Remington murmured as he gently tilted her chin up to face him. Laura reached a hand up to caress his cheek.

“You already have Rem,” she reassured him with a smile as he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Really? How so?” he asked, a little perplexed.

 “You gave me you and you are my world and I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than sharing the rest of my life with you,” she replied as he held her to him, enveloping her in his strong arms.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before Remington smiled and said “I suppose we better let everyone else come back up here eh?” as Laura laughed and nodded.

“Thank you for arranging all this – it was just perfect,” she said sincerely.

 “I wanted to make it perfect for you,” he admitted with a smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes.

 “Well you certainly did that,” Laura confirmed, her smile mirroring his, as with their arms around each other they hopped into the lift and headed back down to the ground. They then decided to walk back along the banks of the Seine to their hotel, looking forward to beginning their life together.

                        ****************************************************************

When they got back to their hotel room Remington took off his tux and tugged off his bow tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt, his eyes never leaving Laura and the smile never leaving his face. Laura returned the smile as he came up to her and took her into his arms. “Have I told you how happy you’ve made me Laura?’ he said sincerely as he gazed into her eyes.

 “I think you might have,” Laura replied with a grin then added, “but feel free to tell me again,” as she linked her arms around his neck.

 “Oh I can do better than that – I can show you,” he replied with the lopsided grin she loved as he brought his lips to hers and they kissed, tenderly at first, taking their time as he pulled her against him.

Laura ran a hand through his thick hair as his hands found the zip of her dress and ever so slowly pulled it down, leaving Laura breathless in the process. With a mischievous grin Laura let the dress fall to the ground and stepped out of it, clad only in her heels and the white lingerie she had bought earlier that day. Remington swallowed hard as he looked at her, a boyish grin crossing his face as his eyes travelled over her.

Laura stepped closer to him and ran a finger down his cheek. “I gather you like your surprise?” Rendered momentarily speechless he could only nod as he ran a hand over the satin and lace covering her. Laura trembled a little at his touch - he seemed to instinctively know just where to touch her to reduce her to jelly. God she was looking forward to spending a lifetime with this man, she thought to herself as a dimpled smile spread across her face.

 “Why the smile my love?” Remington asked as he began planting little kisses over her face before trailing down her neck.

“Just the thought of spending a lifetime of moments like this with you,” Laura replied, her brown eyes twinkling at him as she undid a few more buttons on his shirt.

“Oh I like the sound of that,” he murmured with a devilish wiggle of his eyebrows.

With that, his hand travelled down to Laura’s garter belt before he unclipped her stockings as she pushed his shirt off him and ran her hands through the thick, dark hair on his chest, marvelling a little at the fact she was now engaged to be married to this wonderful, gorgeous man. His eyes that were now darkened with passion, never leaving hers, Remington then dropped to his knees in front of her as he began slowly rolling her stockings down her legs, the effect he was having on her mirrored by the effect she was having on him. Laura held her breath momentarily as she waited to see what he would do next, as he leisurely kissed his way up one of her legs, leaving her trembling with need.

”Rem..,” she murmured huskily as he flashed her a cheeky grin.

 “Yes Laura?” he whispered seductively, knowing what she wanted, what she needed, but enjoying teasing her a bit. Her evident desire for him was matched only by his for her as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his own groin, willing himself to take his time and make this a night they would never forget.

 ”Please,” the word escaped her lips as a choked whisper, knowing the exquisite ecstasy, he and only he, her beloved Remington, could give her.

 “My pleasure,” he replied as he cocked an eyebrow at her and obliged her, removing the rest of her lingerie, as his hands and mouth travelled over her and she felt as if her legs would buckle underneath her.

“That’s it my love – let go,” Remington urged her on as she moaned against him, grabbing onto his hair as he expertly took her over the edge, and she cried out his name, holding onto him for dear life. When she came back down to earth he stood up and gathered her up in his arms. “You never look more beautiful Laura than when you... reach that magical moment,” he whispered in her ear with a chuckle as she felt the colour rising in her cheeks and he tenderly traced one of her cheeks with a long slender finger. ”And you look beautiful when you blush too,” he added with a smile which she returned as he carried her over to the bed and gently laid her down on it, kicking off his shoes and socks as he did so.

She pulled him down to her with a satisfied smile. “You certainly are a man of many talents Mr Steele,” she whispered as she traced a finger over his chest.

“Well I aim to please,” he quipped with a grin as his mouth found hers. With that she playfully flipped him onto his back and in response to his questioning look she said with a promising look,

“Your turn Rem.” as her hands travelled down to his belt and she ran a hand over his very obvious arousal.

“Laura...” he muttered under his strained breath as she undid his zip with maddening slowness.

“Yes what Mr Steele?” she echoed his earlier words to her as he grinned at her.

 “You know very well what Miss Holt,” he laughed huskily as she began tugging his trousers and then his briefs down. A groan escaped his lips as his body reacted to her touch as hers had done to him. She continued to drive him crazy as she zeroed in on that point on his neck just below his ear, as he pulled her on top of him, running a hand leisurely up and down her back. As her hand travelled south and caressed him he knew he couldn’t hold off much longer. Knowing him as she did now, Laura knew it too as a mischievous gleam lit up her brown eyes.

 “What do you want Rem?” she whispered in his ear as she nibbled on it and he felt a shudder go through him, thinking to himself, my God, what this woman does to me.

 “I want you Laura... all of you... and only you... forever,’ he confessed, his eyes holding hers intently as he grabbed her and rolled them over again, their bodies merging into one, hitting the peak together not too long afterwards. Remington held onto Laura like he’d never let her go, burying his head in her neck as he whispered “I love you Laura,”.

“I love you too Rem,” Laura replied with a smile as she reached up and brushed a stray hair off his face.

As they lay together basking in the afterglow Remington idly caressed the ring finger on her left hand, as she admired the engagement ring he had given her earlier that night. “You like it?” he asked with a grin.

“Are you kidding me Rem – I love it!” Laura exclaimed as she kissed him tenderly then rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his heart, knowing he would never let her go…


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Remington awoke before Laura and took a few moments just to look at her, his fiancée, as a grin crossed his face. He still couldn’t quite believe it – after all they had been through together, he was now engaged to be married to the woman he loved, the woman he wanted to share the rest of his life with. Ever so gently so as not to wake her, he planted a kiss on her ring finger on her left hand and another one on her forehead as he brushed a stray hair off her face then hopped out of the bed.

After showering he threw on some jeans and ordered some breakfast for them. As he pottered around quietly, packing some last minute things he didn’t realise Laura had awoken. She propped herself up on one elbow and rested her head on her hand as she watched him, enjoying the sight of him clad only in jeans as a mischievous smile crossed her face. Looking in his suitcase with his back to her he didn’t notice her come up behind him until she put her arms around him and planted a kiss on the side of his neck.

“Morning,” she murmured in his ear as a grin crossed Remington’s face and he covered her hands with his own.

“Morning – I didn’t wake you did I? I ordered us some breakfast,” he greeted her as he turned around to face her, planting a kiss on her lips.

“No you didn’t wake me,” she replied with a smile as she linked her arms around his neck.

“Fancy some breakfast?” he nodded towards the room service trolley.

“I fancy something, but it’s not breakfast,” Laura replied as she gave him a sultry look and kissed him in a way that told him exactly what she fancied.

“So I see,” Remington murmured against her lips as he cocked an eyebrow at her. “But don’t we have a plane to catch?” he pointed out with a chuckle as she pulled him closer to her.

“We can always get a later flight,” she replied, giving him a meaningful look.

“Hmm I guess we could,” he agreed with a grin.

“Anyway Rem – haven’t you ever heard of a quickie?” Laura asked with a mischievous chuckle.

“Oh I think I’m familiar with the concept – may have even indulged in one once or twice,” Remington replied with a laugh of his own.

“And if you were worried about getting to the airport on time you shouldn’t be parading around with just jeans on – you know what that does to me Rem,” Laura said with a dimpled grin.

“And what exactly does that do to you Laura?” he asked with a grin of his own as he stared at her intently.

In reply she grabbed his denim clad rear and pulled his lower half against her. “This,” she replied, her voice husky, as her mouth found his and he laughed a little at ‘wild Laura’ coming out to play.

Breakfast forgotten, they fell back on the bed together. “I think these need to come off,” Laura murmured in his ear as her hands found his belt buckle and undid it then pulled his zip down as he groaned a little.

“Your wish is my command,” Remington replied with a grin as he got up momentarily and pulled his jeans off.

“Those too,” Laura laughed as she looked at his briefs and where her gaze was focused made Remington chuckle.

 “My we’re direct this morning aren’t we Miss Holt?” he commented with a devilish grin as he obeyed her command then rejoined her on the bed, finding her ‘take charge’ mood a definite turn on.

“Oh you know me when I set my sights on something Mr Steele – you know how determined I can be,” Laura replied with a cheeky grin as he nodded, rendered momentarily speechless by where her hand had gone.

“Oh that I do,” he managed to get out between ragged breaths as he pulled her nightgown off, his hands doing their own exploring as she pulled him down to her. The two of them were soon lost in each other, their love and passion for each other overwhelming them as they quickly both found their release, holding on to each other as they shared the ‘ultimate moment’.

Afterwards, lying entwined in each other’s arms Laura sighed with a satisfied smile, “Do we really have to leave Paris?”

Remington grinned as he traced a finger down one of her arms. “Well we don’t have to my love – but I’ll let you tell Mildred we’re not coming back,” he stated ruefully as Laura smiled and nodded, “I don’t think she’d ever forgive us.”

“No indeed,” Remington agreed.

“Wait till she sees this – she’s gonna flip,” Laura commented with a smile as she nodded towards her engagement ring,

“I’ll say,” Remington replied with a grin.

”And my mother won’t believe it!” Laura added with a laugh as Remington nodded and smiled.

“Well it’s certainly been an eventful week - not only did I gain a son, I also gained a fiancée’,” he quipped as he pulled Laura closer to him.

“Your family’s expanding by the minute,” Laura laughed as did he.

“Yes indeed it is. And I’m looking forward to expanding it more in time with you,” he stated, looking at her intently as Laura smiled and kissed him.

“Me too,” she admitted with a warm smile, the two of them eagerly anticipating what the future may hold for them…

                                    *******************************************

Somehow they managed to get to the airport in time to make their flight back to LA. As they boarded the plane and sat down in their seats, Remington took Laura’s hand in his then stared out the window, deep in thought. “Penny for your thoughts Mr Steele,” Laura stated as she gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

He smiled as he looked at her. “Oh I’m just thinking what a lucky man I am and looking forward to starting our life together, and making Harry a part of it,” he replied as Laura nodded in agreement.

“I knows that’s probably going to have some challenges though, but I promise you Laura I’ll do whatever I can to make it work,” he added sincerely. At that Laura rested her head on his shoulder and he put an arm around her.

”I know you will Rem,” she replied as she looked up at him, “And just remember, you’re not alone. I’ll promise you something too – you’ll never be alone again. We’ll make it work... together,” she reassured him with a smile as he smiled back at her and pulled her closer to him.

“That we will Miss Holt, that we will,” Remington replied with a grin as the plane took off, taking them home.

  _To be continued…_

 

 


End file.
